In these blogs, I  have often mentioned the name of Hugh Black, a headmaster and Pentecostal pastor and preacher who had a great influence upon me. There is one thing that did frustrate me about his wonderful Spirit filled preaching. Sometimes he would take about one third of the sermon, or so it seemed to me, to tell us all how the sermon had come to him!

Well, let me do a Hugh Black on you and take this blog to tell you how blogs come to me.  It is all very new to me. No one has told me how to do it. I am just stumbling into it, one step at a time. It is actually a different process from preaching or teaching as the pastor of a congregation, which I no longer am because of my health, or rather the lack of it. I guess that in that setting a minister has to look at what the sheep need in order to be strong and well as a flock.  However,  through blogging I have a nameless and faceless congregation and I am not your pastor or church leader. I find therefore the inspiration comes in a different way. I asked God to help me share it with you. I hope it helps. Anyway, here goes:

As I think of each blog, I find that my spirit is  like a sea, full of life. It feels as though there are ten thousand possible thoughts  and indeed ten thousand more after that which I could share with you, all of which could bring life. They are swimming around there. Some of them seem to be quite comfortable swimming around in the depths of my spirit for a bit longer, but I am aware of one or two that seem to be kicking their feet to come up the way out of the depths. They must get to the surface…. right now. That is how I go about sharing. I simply trust  that as I share the thoughts that come to the surface of my spirit, they may bring life to some.

For example, I had a thought today: “Jesus did not see himself as coming to reform the system.” I felt it was a word for some of you that a time is coming for a move. I will drop that into this blog today and come back to it tomorrow or in a couple of days. I mention it today in case some of you are thinking.”Go or stay?” God is on your case. What I have to say about that sort of issue may help you…

…but  perhaps this explaining of how a blog comes will help you whatever your situation to learn a bit more about how to hear God. That thought seemed to break through to the surface ahead of the other one!

1 – First of all, be sure of this, that if you are a Christian, you will find that your spirit knows life giving truths. There are truths swimming about in you, put there by the Holy Spirit Himself who knows what is in your depths and brings us the depths of God. I am so grateful for those the Spirit has used at times to birth these thoughts. Preachers, teachers, friends, family, even the most damaged of people in whom I have seen God at work and learned from what was happening in them. Many people and situations have gone into the life that there is swimming about in the sea of my spirit. By word, deed or experience many over the years have shown me things about the Kingdom, so there is some sort of a store within me from which treasures can be drawn, some of them reecently learned  treasures and some of them old, just as Jesus said.  SUGGESTION: TAKE TIME TO THANK GOD FOR THOSE WHO HAVE INSTRUCTED YOU IN THE TREASURES OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD

2 -Added to all that life giving truth where the source can be traced, I am also aware there are some things that are just there and have been taught by no one. I just know them. Perhaps that is because the Spirit of God can show us things directly. Although God blesses us with preachers, teachers, pastors etc. actually every believer is taught of God directly as well. The Apostle John tells us that we have an anointing from the Holy One that teaches us. SUGGESTION: THANK GOD FOR THE DEEPEST SWIMMING TRUTHS THAT THE SPIRIT HAS BROUGHT TO YOU AS A WORD FORM GOD, WITH POWER AND MUCH ASSURANCE.

3 – Try and make a quiet moment to listen for the truths that are swimming to the surface. It is not hard. Just take time to be alone, commit those moments to the Spirit of God and see what treasures new or old come swimming up. SUGGESTION: FIND A QUIET PLACE…

I don’t know what church or theological camp to put myself in any longer; Evangelical..Charismatic?…. Perhaps from what I have shared today some of you might think I simply belong in Camp Weird!  I am quite happy with that so long as you add Wonderful to the word Weird. It is actually the place I like living in the most personally…. and through this blog today,  I am offering you hospitality. Come into the place I am learning to live in as I enter this new phase of life and ministry, the place of swimming things, of sparkling  water, “kick of the feet thoughts” coming to the surface; treasures new and old from God.

PS – You are very welcome to enjoy these blogs and share them with anyone “without money or price!” However, if you ever feel grateful for these blogs and are able to do so, then please make a donation to Open Doors, Scotland. Their website is

http://www.opendoorsuk.org/scotland

In case you have not heard of them, Open Doors works to help our persecuted brothers and sisters throughout the world.